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Palo Alto council appoints Christopher Jensen as city attorney
Summary
The Palo Alto City Council unanimously appointed Christopher Jensen as city attorney March 16, approving an employment agreement that sets an annual salary of $380,000 and additional benefits; Jensen thanked the council and pledged to work with staff and the community.
The Palo Alto City Council unanimously voted March 16 to appoint Christopher Jensen as the city's next city attorney and approved his employment agreement.
Sandra Blanche, the city's human resources director, summarized the recruitment process, saying the council'appointed officer committee and a retained executive recruiter had screened a competitive candidate pool and recommended Jensen after thorough reference checks and background screening. Blanche said the proposed compensation includes an annual salary of $380,000, a $20,000 annual contribution to a 401(a) retirement account, 200 hours of vacation accrual per year and the standard management benefit package.
Mayor Vicki Venker praised the city's interim legal team and described Jensen as “an outstanding attorney” with public-agency experience, including roles in Berkeley and Cupertino and a background in environmental science. Jensen thanked the council and said he was "looking forward to working with such a strong council and such a strong organization" and to joining the city attorney's office.
There was no public comment on the item. After a motion and second, the clerk called the roll and the appointment carried unanimously. The council then recessed briefly before continuing with the evening agenda.
The appointment takes place under the Brown Act reporting rules applicable to executive compensation; staff provided the required oral summary prior to the final action. The council'approved employment agreement and the vote tally were read into the record by the clerk.
